1 June 2018

 Middle East

• On 30 May, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights issued a press release condemning Israeli forces’ interception of a boat carrying Palestinian passengers as it was leaving Gaza sea port. The Great March of Return committee had announced a day before the establishment of a “boat for freedom and breaking the siege”, carrying patients and injured Palestinians to break the Israeli blockade.

• On 29 May, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel informed about their complaint to the Justice Ministry’s Police Investigation Department, demanding an investigation into the excessive force used by Israeli police to disperse demonstrations that took place in Haifa on 18 May.

• On 28 May, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) issued a response to the Supreme Court’s rejection of their petition against the Expulsion Law. The law allows a majority of Knesset members to oust a serving Knesset member on the grounds of incitement or racism and support for armed struggle against Israel. Adalah and ACRI denounced the inability of the Court to defend Arab members of the Knesset against government measures.

• On 27 May, Yesh Din, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Gisha, HaMoked, Adalah and Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights denounced the decision of the High Court of Justice to reject their petitions. In those they had demanded the revocation of the rules of engagement permitting the use of live fire against protestors along the fence with Gaza when they posed no immediate threat to human life or to security forces.

• On 27 May, B’Tselem issued a statement denouncing the decision of three Israeli Supreme Court Justices to issue warrants for the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar community’s homes and to relocate the residents.

• On 24 May, Peace Now issued a press release criticizing the Israeli Defense Minister’s announcement of the expected approval of 2,500 housing units in the settlements. Based on information obtained by the organization, most of the houses will be located in isolated settlements, defined as east of the potential border route of the Geneva Initiative.

Europe

• On 1 June, Amnesty International issued a statement condemning Israel’s illegal demolition and forcible transfer of a Palestinian Bedouin village, as they amount to war crimes. Amnesty International says that the Supreme Court’s ruling is “extremely dangerous and may set a precedent for other communities that oppose Israeli plans to relocate them to urban centers.”

North America

• On 1 June, the Health Advisory Council of Jewish Voice for Peace published their June media watch report on recent developments and casualties in Gaza, quoting sources such as Medical Aid for Palestinians, B’Tselem, Gisha and Human Rights Watch.
• On 29 May, Human Rights Watch issued a report “Bankrolling Abuse: Israeli banks in West Bank settlements.” The report explains the mechanisms contributing to the expansion of unlawful settlements through Israel’s largest banks. The latter’s involvements are said to acquire a property interest in the development projects and shepherd them through completion.

United Nations

• On 31 May, UN human rights experts expressed grave concerns about an Israeli court’s decision on 24 May to uphold a plan by the Government of Israel to demolish the entire Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank east of Jerusalem. The UN experts called upon Israel to respect the rights of the Khan al-Ahmar residents to remain on their lands and to have their status regularized.
• On 31 May, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl delivered a press briefing on his visit to a health care facility in Gaza. He sent an emergency call for help to save Gaza’s health system and boost UNRWA’s ability to provide care to the patients injured during the demonstrations, in addition to support for mental health and psychological care.
• On 31 May, OCHA published their humanitarian snapshot on “Mass casualties in the context of demonstrations in the Gaza Strip.” It highlights a total of 128 deaths and 13,375 injuries in the Palestinian casualties since 30 March.
• On 30 May, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Gaza. He warned the region was “on the brink of war” after rockets and mortar shells were fired across the border between Gaza and Israel. Mladenov also told that the Palestinians in Gaza that work will be done to ensure they have a “future beyond mere survival.”
• The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will jointly convene an international conference under the theme “The Question of Jerusalem after 50 years of Occupation and 25 years of the Oslo Accords” in Rabat, Morocco on 26-28 June 2018.

This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations affiliated with the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The Committee and the Division for Palestinian Rights of the UN Secretariat provide the information “as is” without warranty of any kind, and do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in the websites linked in the newsletter.